


Needed: Generic Fatherfigure for Backyard BBQ

by Cerberussa



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Actually Kid Friendly, Ambassador Sokka (Avatar), BBQ Dad, But Not That Kinda Meat You Filthy Minded, Candy Art, Firebenders Can Cook, Firebending & Firebenders, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Future Fic, Healing from trauma, In this house we heal from trauma and don't perpetuate the acts of violence, Kid Fic, Literally Grill Dad, M/M, Married Family AU, No Beta, Not safe for vegans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Picnics, Plenty Of Meat, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slice of Life, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Sweets, Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28882410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerberussa/pseuds/Cerberussa
Summary: Just something self indulgent and heartwarming, beacuse its winter, and I think we all need some warmth, comfort, and comfort food.Five or six years into their marriage, Sokka and Zuko go on another work trip/vacation to visit the Water tribe side of their family, and they have a picnic.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 64





	Needed: Generic Fatherfigure for Backyard BBQ

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first kidfic, and my first ever published piece online.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure where this came from. I was watching a documentary on japanese amezaiku candy sculptures, and went 'this is dude is like some firebender trying to fake waterbending'.  
> Also the vid where the little girl teaches the cats how to draw a flower.  
> The rest? No idea.

Parenting was not something Zuko looked forward to, but being Fire Lord, it seemed inevitable.

The endless pestering started months after the coronation ceremony, first polite hints about getting married, later on not so subtle gifts of teeny tiny children’s shoes, stained glass baby mobiles featuring planets, tiny blankets...

  
Zuko locked away the pile in an empty room tucked away near the palace garden entrance.

He hated the idea.

No, that was an understatement. It was both a literal and figurative nightmare for Zuko.

For weeks before the adoption, and Sokka included, they could barely get through a night without having an impromptu 4 am ~~pep talk~~...uh _conversation_ about every tiny detail.

And the dreams were the worst part. Images of tiny burned limbs, the smell of scorched skin, his face slowly turning into a familiar, cruel, older one.

The cries of frightened voices in his dreams calling him father, almost as an accusation. Zuko woke up covered in cold sweat, nauseous, his heartbeat in his ears, anger, fear, guilt. The fear of his control slipping, and slowly becoming something too familiar. The fear of carrying something cruel, ruthless deep down in his soul, inherited, fire branded into his soul, in his nature.

  
He threw up so often, Sokka started joking that he was the only parent getting morning sickness for years without even being pregnant.  
Maybe if he politely stayed away, and let Sokka handle the most of it. But that wasn’t fair on him. Sokka had his ambassadorial duties, and this future child needed to learn what it meant to be Fire Lord, how to run everything. That was meant to be the whole point.  
This was going to be a disaster.  
\---------------------

And then it...just wasn’t.

Everything was fine.

  
After a few days everyone got used to the Fire Lord showing up to council meetings with a soft silk sling wrap and a sleeping tiny firebender.  
It was surprisingly easy to maintain his calm royal dignity and giving orders while tiny hands tried to play with his beard.  
Sokka spent weeks baby-proofing the entire palace, and got rid of every statue with sharp edges, added extra railings, and bars front of open fireplaces. All 2365 of them.  
Baby Amka is still hellbent on trying to put her little fingers through the intricate wrought iron fireplace screen. Sokka blames it on ‘bad influence’, and Zuko isn’t even mad.

There’s a strong smell of cooking meat on the sharp frozen wind, and Zuko is fine. The scent doesn’t bring up horrifying memories of inferno, but of quiet, peaceful crimson-lit evenings with his family.  
Amka is bundled up tightly in furs, giving her the appearance of a chubby polarbeardog pup. She has her hair in a pair of doughnut buns, decorated with silk fire lilies, freckled, like her little cheeks. Just the age, when children are mysteriously constantly sticky, and Sokka tries to chase her down to wipe her hands with a handful of snow.  
Zuko chuckles at her protests.  
Front of him a variety of meats, freshly hunted this afternoon. Seal steaks, arctic hen drumsticks, puffin-seal sausages, finely sliced fish, pale as the moon on the sky.  
He gently places another steak on his palm, and conjures up his internal fire, and starts cooking it.  
-Me too Papa, gimme one too please.-Amka claps her chubby little hands.-I wanna help making dinner!  
-Wash your paws and you can kiddo, okay?-tries Sokka again. -But not the drumsticks Zuko, we aren’t giving her raw chicken to handle.  
His concern seems well-founded, as Amka promptly sticks her hand in her mouth, licking the melted snow off her fingers.  
Zuko finishes sealing the steak on all sides, and puts it on one of the metal plates over the fire to keep it warm.  
-Here you go, sweetheart-he picks up a smaller slice, Sokka prepared.  
Some are cut especially for her, perfectly to a child’s palm’s size. They will probably end up half rare, half charred, and totally inedible, but Amka has fun both cooking and then feeding them the polarbeardogs.  
She places it between her little palms, brows furrowed in concentration. Seconds later both of her hands and the meat is engulfed by flames.  
-Careful there kiddo, don’t forget to breathe.-Zuko gently pries open her little greasy hands while also trying to pull the flames a bit further away from her face.-Well done, that’s looking yummy. The puppies will love it. Here, lets put some spice mix on it. What do you think they’d like on it?  
-Salt. The pretty pink please.

  
Her round cheeks are rosy from the arctic cold, her huge rich dark brown eyes are lit up with with delight. _Just so so adorable, so beautiful and perfect._

  
-Yes, a bit of salt, but not too much.

  
-And lots of yummy fire chillies!-She declares with her hands mushing the charred meat and a generous amount of fire chillies into a sticky pink-red-black ball- Later, I’m gonna teach the polarbeardogs to breathe fire like Papa. Cute little rainbow flames, with sparks like diamonds -grins Amka, with a mischievous smile.  
Little s...kids thinks Zuko, looking at his daughter’s excited little face. He knows she doesn’t mean to harm the dogs, to her fire is all new, exciting and magical. Zuko tries his best to teach her responsible firebending without any major accidents, and first and foremost without any fear of punishments.

\-----------------

Dinner is had, and Zuko starts to tidy up after them.

  
-Come Amka, we’ll feed the leftovers to the polarbeardogs. -Sokka easily picks her up and sits her on his shoulders.

Zuko hands him the plate with the leftovers and Amka’s _creations._ She is visibly proud of them, they are even decorated with herbs and spices, like cakes.

\-----------------

Sokka and Amka comes back to His Majesty the Fire Lord, Sovereign of the Fire Nation sitting criss-cross applesauce in the snow, with a handful of melted candy syrup. He is surrounded by excited children of all ages, running around on a slight sugar rush.

  
-Seems like I married a waterbender after all...-laughs Sokka, admiring the transparent goop taking the shape of an elegant carp in the long pale fingers.  
Zuko smiles, and hands the confectionery to one of the kids.

  
-Be careful, its still a bit warm. And don’t forget to brush your teeth after.

  
-Can I please have an elephantseal with a long trunk and big floppy ears and big flippers?-asks Amka-Dad, you said I can if I finished all my dinner. Well, I ate most of it.

  
-That’s not a real animal silly.-Sokka puts his daughter down, and she joins the small crowd around her Papa.

  
The elephantseal is looks absurd, but the children love it. As soon as she gets her hands on it, Amka starts to nibble at one of the ears, and then tries to blow air through the trunk to see if it whistles.

  
-Do a scary girafferaptorcamelwhale next!-says another kid with one breath, and then politely adds-...Sir. Uhm. Please.

  
-I’m not sure that’s a real animal either Yuka.- starts Sokka, but Zuko just smiles.

  
-I can certainly try, if you tell me what it looks like.-he winks at the kid-And no titles please, unlike Ambassador Sokka here, I’m on holidays.

  
The kid nods.

  
-Soo, it has a loong curly-wurly neck, big fins, five eyes, and biiiig big talons. And wings like a dragon-gesticulates the girl, and the Fire Lord does his best to sculp this terrifying beast.

  
-I’d like a pidgeondolphinshrim please.-another kid shouts

  
-Annnd a monkeydonkeyjellyfishhorse!-someone else adds

  
They are all covered in sugar, playing with their half eaten animal sculptures.

  
-Okay kids, thats enough sugar for tonight.-Sokka looks around.- Everyone had one right? Good. Who wants to hear a story?

  
The icy air smells like caramel, but everyone is cosy, content and warm by the campfire. The Water Tribe feels more and more like home, and despite the harsh weather, he loves the long walks in the snow, and the communal meals by the fire.

  
Zuko feels proud to be a dad.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Please gimme comments :)  
> May, or may not do a part2.
> 
> Be kind to each other, to yourselves, and have an amezaiku day x


End file.
